Another batch of wonderful birds....

 

A mixed bag of birds in this third grouping of birds seen over the course of 2025. The Cassin's Kingbird and the Cinnamon Teal were seen in southern California and the other three, the Mexican Mallard, the Greater Roadrunner and the Pyrrhuloxia, a sort of cardinal-like bird, were all found in and around Laredo, Texas, while I was at the Laredo Birding Festival. 

Some more new birds for 2025

 

This group of birds, which were lifers to me in 2025, came from a trip to southern California in January. They are all fairly common birds but you have to be in the right spot at the right time of the year to see them. That is how it is with most birds. The Spotted Towhee was in a parking lot as I was leaving another birding area. You never know what you will see when you go looking.  

New Birds seen in 2025

 

Had a great year birding in 2025. Found 86 new birds this year, pushing my life list to 444 birds. Got new birds near home here in Illinois and on road trips to 5 different states. This group of 4 lifers shown here include two from southern California, which I saw early this year (the Bewick's Wren and the Back-tailed Gnatcher) and two from Illinois, including a beautiful Snowy Owl seen in Lockport and the Common Goldeneye seen in the Illinois Canal last January in Darien. Sometimes you have to go far and wide to get a bird. Sometimes, they are more local.  It is getting harder and harder to book new birds but there are still lots of local birds that I haven't seen. The Lapland Longspur comes to town every winter and is one I might get this year. The winter wren as well. Those two are on my target list. You also have to go far and wide to get new birds and next year I have a trip lined up to Alaska, which should net me a boatload of new birds. Anyway, here are the first 4 of 86 birds that I will show over the next few weeks. Enjoy!

Sometimes when birding.....

 

.....you see other things as well. I was with a group of fellow birders as a white-tailed deer stopped to check us out. Yes, even the animals think birders are weird.... 

Lone Cooper's

 

Been a bit since I have posted. Sorry about that. Been taking a lot of bird photos. Didn't want to bore non-birders. This one has a bit of an artistic style to it, so I thought I would post it here. That's a lone Cooper's Hawk in the morning fog. This one had that misty feel to it. Enjoy the coming holiday season. 

A bit of Spring with a Verdin

 

Spring was in the air in Tempe...meaning it was quite hot in the afternoon, but in the morning and evenings, after work, the weather was gorgeous. So was this Verdin, which posed for me in front of some purple flowers in the background. It was nice of it to come and visit. Verdins are everywhere in the Phoenix area. However, you don't see them much as they mostly stay deep in the trees. Anyway, this one popped out and I got a shot!!!

American White Pelicans in Flight + One

 

These American White Pelicans were doing a nice series of turns, flying in formation that was amazing to watch while out birding near Laredo, Texas this past week. Actually, if you look closely, there is one interloper in the shot. Hard to see, but there is a Crested Caracara up near the top right.  Did you find him?